The 10th anniversary edition of the New York Times bestseller and international classic loved by millions of readers.
The unforgettable, heartbreaking story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father's servant, The Kite Runner is a beautifully crafted novel set in a country that is in the process of being destroyed. It is about the power of reading, the price of betrayal, and the possibility of redemption; and an exploration of the power of fathers over sons—their love, their sacrifices, their lies.
A sweeping story of family, love, and friendship told against the devastating backdrop of the history of Afghanistan over the last thirty years, The Kite Runner is an unusual and powerful novel that has become a beloved, one-of-a-kind classic.
Novels about a young Pashtun boy in Kabul and his father's servant's son are not generally expected to become runaway word-of-mouth bestsellers, but Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner did exactly that when it was first published in 2003. The 10th anniversary paperback edition contains a new foreword by the author. If you haven't yet read it; now is the time.
Khaled Hosseini one of most widely read and beloved novelists in the world, with more than ten million copies sold in the United States of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, and more than thirty-eight million copies sold worldwide in more than seventy countries. His third novel, And the Mountains Echoed, will be published May 21, 2013. Hosseini is also a Goodwill Envoy to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the UN Refugee Agency, and the founder of The Khaled Hosseini Foundation, a nonprofit that provides humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan. He lives in northern California. To learn more about his foundation, please visit www.khaledhosseini.org.
One of the saddest books I have read in quite a while. The author does not pull any punches, or leave anything to the imagination. I liked that the author used italics for the afghani terms that some westerners may not be familiar with. This book was bought for me as a gift and I really enjoyed reading it
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.KatherynD
Posted Wed May 01 00:00:00 EDT 2013
When Afghanistan went to war and was saved by the Taliban who turned out to be just as bad, Amir Agha and his father Baba moved to America. They had trouble when they moved and went through changes which eventually made them better people. When they lived in Afghanistan Amir grew up with a boy named Hassan and his father Ali, their Hazara servants. Amir and Hassan grew up as best friends or so Hassan, the kite runner, thought. Because they were fed from the same breast, an extreme consequence was hidden deep in ones thoughts after an event to horrible to watch was reaveled . But in that exact sentence is a hidden secret that would have changed their lives if it they would have known at a young age. Unfortunately the information came too late. The secrets that were kept were so very important that without them the end never would have been. There was this one boy named Assef; he and his friends tormented the neighborhood kids and eventually become an essential part of the story. Then without warning contributed to the twist ending that excites the readers with amazement and wonder. Without that wonder and without Assef becoming an important part of the plot, one of our themes never would have been relevant; Stand up for yourself and others. This is a very good life story along with if you can’t stand up for yourself you’ll never stand up for others. Something was promised to be done and ends up being lived through by another very closely related. The book has a very exciting and intriguing climax and will blow your socks off. If you are only for a certain religion and don’t like reading about someone taking place in another religion or praying and practicing another religion then the book is not a top choice for you to read. Despite the religious content the book is astoundingly intriguing and contains life lessons that everyone should learn even the wisest of us all. Another theme is life can be cruel and forgiving if you don’t forget or give up. The biggest lesson to be learned from the exciting twist ending is no matter what has happened and what you’ve done you can still redeem yourself. Never give up is another moral that is pertaining to the book The Kite Runner.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.AlanL2
Posted Wed May 01 00:00:00 EDT 2013
Have you ever wanted to see Afghanistan in a different perspective? An adult’s view, or maybe a child? Different places mean different views, but wouldn’t it be amazing to see reality through the eyes of a youth? Every day war changes or twists the lives of children. One particular person, however, has seen people come and go and witnessed his land obliterated, that one child is Amir.
In The Kite Runner, Amir has seen a war that not only changed his life but also dig up the past. As Amir grows older, more of his life in Afghanistan begins to unravel. Dark secrets that have been kept from Amir will unfold and bring him to his limits. Not only does Amir have to face his past, but encounter old enemies again.
How would others feel if their father or mother had to keep a dark secret from you? In this awe-inspiring novel, friendships will be tested and secrets revealed. The reader will break down in inspiration as they themselves witness these problems. I believe that this book contains a belief that most stories are judged by their cover or title. This statement is highly implied in the riveting novel that also contains historical events. What would you do if your life depended on one thing, or person? Many people have been inspired or heartbroken by the lives of children.
This book will guarantee to leave readers question their own life.
“I thought about something Rahim Khan said just before he hung up, almost as an afterthought. There is a way to be good again. I looked up at those twin kites. I thought about Hassan. Thought about Baba. Ali. Kabul. I thought of the life I had lived until the winter of 1975 came along and changed everything. And made me what I am today. For you, a thousand times over.”
HallieJ
Posted Wed May 01 00:00:00 EDT 2013
Making the wrong choice can lead to a feeling that haunts someone for years. Amir learned and experienced this during his life journey. Throughout the novel, Amir tells the reader his story from beginning to the present.
In The Kite Runner, the story starts off as Amir telling the reader about his life. He lived in a fairly nice house with his father, whom he calls Baba, and their servants, Ali and Hassan, in Afghanistan. All throughout his childhood, Amir constantly tries to make his father proud and fights for his love and attention. Hassan had many characteristics in which his father admired and that made Amir jealous. Amir makes the wrong choice and his decision later leaves a negative effect on his life. His life in Kabul comes to an end when the Russian forces come to power and Amir and his father move to the United States.
Overall, The Kite Runner makes the reader think about friendship, good and evil, and liberation. It is very powerful, moving, and in some parts, surprising. The dramatic political events that take place are only a small section in this story. Although Amir tries to move on and forget his wrong-doings, the past is unable to stay buried. Amir is forced to return to his homeland and face his past when he gets a call from his old friend, Rahim Khan, who tells him that “there is a way to be good again”; a way of redeeming himself. Amir craves the punishment that he thinks he deserves.
“I ran back the way I’d come. Ran back to the all but deserted bazaar. I lurched to a cubicle and leaned against the padlocked swinging doors. I stood there panting, sweating, wishing things have turned out some other way.
Anonymous
Posted Tue Apr 30 00:00:00 EDT 2013
If you had a chance to be good again would you take it? The kite runner is a short novel if you get to finish it, when you get an idea of what happed in a scenario it might be easier to put in to words that explain every moment and detail in space, that way you know what is going on in a scenario. I had never read a book with such curvature in the scenes that you imagine while reading. For a book difficulty of reading I would say the grammar is varied. If you’re the type of person that gets in to reading and would like to get a sample of a hazzara boy that had a unreliable friend and Pashtuns treating him like a joke because of his home town he grew up in. his brother was the unreliable friend that destroyed a huge secret brotherhood, yes they were brothers that came from the same baba (father) but one brother dies not knowing and while the other still living in his midlife crisis finding out the truth of what is real and isn’t. well back to the one of many lesson learned in this book is that you always get a second chance to be good again, and that’s what the living brother is trying to peruse because his guilty conscious is trying to fix what has happened that made everything go wrong, tough luck is heavy when it rests on your shoulder, time grows bigger but weaker, a never ending cycle. He continuously asks for attention when clearly the attention should be his own given. if you live saying I am weak you will be weak. Try not to think about what is but what it isn’t. Fight for what is right, even if you’re afraid in the pits of danger.in the end it’s not what you have that counts it’s what you did to help. If you have read all this the text I have typed then you won’t have trouble putting yourself in The Kite Runner and you will learn the major knowledge that may assist in your life to come.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Tue Apr 30 00:00:00 EDT 2013
The “Kite Runner” is a great story that talks about the author Khalid Hosseini the Sunni Muslim that was born in Kabul, Afghanistan in 1963, and then moved to the U.S to San Francisco, CA in 1980. His father “Baba” calls him “Amir”, and his mom died when she gave birth to him. Rahim Khan Baba’s friend tells Amir in the beginning of the story “there is a way to be good again” and this quote is the main idea of the story.
The story is mainly about two friends, Amir the Sunnis Muslim and Hassan the Shi’a Muslim, but because they are from different religious, that culture will prohibit them from being friends, but they always were together. Assef the boy who is stick to his culture didn’t like that, so he wanted to hurt both of them, and when he had the chance with Hassan he took it, he rapped him so that Hassan will understand that he is a man who stands for his culture and Amir saw everything but didn’t do anything, so he betrayed his friend because of his weakness. After a long time period, Amir had to go back to his country to find out that Assef has his own half brother’s son Sohrab and that he had to fight Assef so he can get Sohrab back, but Amir like always is weak and get beaten up almost to death until Sohrab saved him. This showed Amir the what happened around him was mostley because of him and that’s why Rahim Khan told Amir that “there is a way to be good again” so that he recognizes what he did when he was young and the difference between the feelings of Hassan towards Amir when he saved him and Amir towards Hassan when he betrayed him. That’s why what goes around comes around.
I liked this novel, because it shows us that no matter how far a person goes or how much money a person can make, it’s always going to be the time when life shows that person that what he/she did was wrong so that every time this person remembers what happen to him, will remember what he/she did. But even if life showed Amir that what he did was wrong and he had to pay because of how he treated his own childhood friend that turned to be his half brother, Amir will not change and will stay the same person that he was when he was a child, because a person who won’t stand for himself will not stand for anything else.
I honestly recommend this novel to everyone, even if I didn’t like the main character Amir which is the author, but it’s still a great story that talks about our daily life with others and the responsibilities that we have to take towards the people we love.
629
Posted Tue Apr 30 00:00:00 EDT 2013
Kite Runner is set mostly in Afghanistan. The introverted and insecure afghan narrator, Amir, grows up in Afghanistan in the closing years of the monarchy and the first years of the short-lived republic. His best and most faithful friend, Hassan, is the son of a servant. Amir feels he betrays Hassan by not coming to his aid when Hassan is set on by bullies and furthermore forces Hassan and his father Ali to leave his father´s service. Amir´s relatively privileged life in Kabul comes to an end when the communist regime comes to power and his extrovert father, Baba emigrates with him to the U.S. There Amir meets his future afghan wife and marries her. Amir´s father dies in the U.S. and Amir receives a letter from his father´s most trusted business partner and, for a time, Amir´s surrogate father, which makes Amir return, alone, to a Taliban-dominated Afghanistan in search of the truth about himself and his family, and finally, a sort of redemption.
I couldn't get into this book. I think it was a good book otherwise. I would reccomend this book for someone to read.
1919BC
Posted Tue Apr 30 00:00:00 EDT 2013
Blair Castellanos
Kite Runner written by Khaled Hosseini is one of the greatest books I have read its one for New Yorks bestseller. This novel had to do with religion, it was very interesting and shocking to see how other people live and how religion is so different, in different parts of the world. This novel makes you appreciate live because you see how hard it is.
The story is about this man name Amir, he goes back and tells you about this life from the beginning to the end. It starts off when he was just this little boy who’s father was really wealthy. They had servers that Baba which was Amir’s father was really close too. It was him and his boy name Hassan, Hassan and Amir were really close but Amir never like to call him his friend because he was embarrassed by him and hated to be seen with him. Really deep down in side Amir was jealous of Hassan because the attention Baba would give Hassan. Baba and Amir never had that father son relationship a boy should have. One thing Amir did right with Baba is he entered a kite contest one year and he won it they got close ever since. That day was a bad day for Amir and Hassan friendship because that day he won that contest Hassan ran around with the kite to show people Amir had won that contest, when Amir went looking for him he seen these mean kids rape Hassan and Amir did nothing but run away. Ever since then things were awkward so awkward Amir set up Hassan and put money under his bed and accuse them of stealing. After all that happened a war started and Baba and Amir moved to California where they became poor and work really hard to make a living. They soon found out the Baba had lung cancer but he refuse to get treatment and continued to smoke. Amir soon after found the love of his wife and got married and finish school. Baba passed away from the cancer but got to see Amir live is life. Amir couldn’t stop thinking about Hassan so decided to go back to see him. He soon found him and they moved back to his fathers house when Amir left Hassan and his wife were shot and killed and there son had became an orphan. Amir went after him to adopt the boy but found out that someone took him. That someone was the same boy who rape Hassan when he was small and fought him to get him back, he was beating but in the end Amir got the boy and brought him back to the USA and gave him a good life.
Areana_Medrano
Posted Tue Apr 30 00:00:00 EDT 2013
The Kite Runner was written by Khaled Hosseini and was at one time a New York Times bestseller. It was also a San Francisco Chronicle best book of the year. First off this book is a picture of modern Afghanistan. It was unusual to me that Amir didn't know Hassan was his brother. It started with Amir talking about his not so good childhood, he speaks regretfully about his years growing up. Amir was very jealous of his dads servant because he would get all the love and attention from his father, although Amir was spoiled him and his dad never developed that son and dad bond.Amir was the main character of this book, he's a very complex person. Another main character is Baba the Legend, he's a very intimidating man. Hassan is the other main character and he is just a good individual, after the death of his mother he became humble.The story began in Kabul, during Amirs childhood. Amir and Baba than left to Fremont, California. Than finally returned back to Kabul. Amir and Hassan were both raised without mothers, however it was believed that having the same nurse makes people close. Hassan's mom left a little after he was born, Amirs mom died giving birth to him. Growing up it seemed as if Baba disliked Amir because of Amirs love for poetry instead of sports made him less manly, in his dads opinion. Due to the danger in going on Kabul , Baba and Amir cross the border to Pakistan and from they went to Fremont, California. Unfortunately Baba was diagnosed with cancer and the money he as making in Kabul was not worth as much in America. He wanted to plan Amir's wedding with Soraya before he passes. Amir returned back to Kabul after his father died and he found out his old friend Rahim was ill. Amir finds out Hassan was his own brother and his has a nephew. He goes to the taliban to get his nephew Sohrab back. Once he finds him and fights Assef for Sohrab, he finally walks out with him. After getting out of the hospital Amir realized that he had to take Sohrab in. He knew he had to save Sohrab but that's nearly impossible for Amir to do so at first. Although Amir promised Sohrab he would take him back to the U.S and that Sohrab wouldn't have to go back to and orphanage. The problem is he has to go in a temporary orphanage for everything to go through. When Sohrab finds out the information he is devastated and attempts to commit suicide. Sohrab ends up living but doesn't forgive Amir yet. At the end Amir takes Sohrab to fly a kite at the park to show how Hassan brought their love together. After reading this novel I feel like Amir grew up so many ways and became the man his father wanted him to be. Despite his past and all the bad things he had done , he stood up for what was right and stepped up as a man. I would recommend everyone to read this book. It gives so many lessons and real life situations that can happen other than having a so called good life. It didn't have any down falls in my opinion, as I kept reading I wanted to know more and more. If you are eager to know how it is on the less bright side than read this book.
Anonymous
Posted Tue Apr 30 00:00:00 EDT 2013
The kite runner is a book published by Khaled Hossein. In the book, the author did a pretty good job describing and introducing the Afghan culture to the reader. I have learned a lot about the Mideast culture, it changed my views. Before I read the book, I thought the people over there are crazy and they are terrorists. That’s what the media had throwing at us these days. Now I know that most of people are just as normal as us. However, the book mainly focuses on the author’s relationship with his childhood friend Hassan. These two people were very good friends, until a tragic even happened and changed the friendship forever. Then after many years, one of them has to return to fix the problem for himself. That’s when the story starts to get better. Because the first couple of chapters the author made me sick. At the moment, I thought he is in love with his own father. The reason why is, he is jealous of his friend because he had some father issue. That is what I consider the bad part of the book. Other than that, it is a very touching book to read. I would recommend the book to everyone.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Aeriana_Thomas
Posted Tue Apr 30 00:00:00 EDT 2013
The kite runner was published in 2003 by Khaled Hosseini it was one his best selling books. the book has a lot of events in it i wouldn't just walk through the store and picked the book up to read but i recommend if you see it you should pick it up.it shows a different point of life and childhood in other country's it might be a sad book but its wroth reading. the book main characters are Baba , Amir and their two servants Ali and Hassan. i thought it was kind of weird how Amir played with Hassan only when he had nobody to play with and didn't think of him as his brother or best friend. one of the major events that happen was when they had a kite concert and Hassan went to run down the kite as Hassan went to go get the kite three bullies came up to him to teach him a listen because he was a Hazerit the leader of the group asked for the kite that he got for Amir and he told him no so the leader of group RAPE!! Hassan as that was going Amir seen it happen and did nothing to help him out but hide behind a trash can till it was over. As the boys got older Hassan and Amir said nothing about the rape Amir felt so guilty for not helping his quote on quote friend that he tried everything to try to get him out the house for example: he hide his birthday money and watch under Hassan bed mattress and lied to his baba and said Hassan took it. Hassan was a nice character in this book everything Amir did Hassan took up for him no matter how bad it was or if he was right or wrong Hassan even stand up for him in fights . some months later they had to escape out of their country Afghanistan because there was a war going on and the soldiers where destroying everything and everybody Amir and baba got out the country in a back of a wagon and then ended up in a gas tank with a couple of other people that was heading to america . Amir finished high school in america and started to got to college ,Amir father worked at the gas station and to have more money baba sold some old item at a swap meet Amir dream is to become a famous writer. Amir spots a girl working in the swap meet but is too scared to talk to her he finally got the courage to talk to but your not allowed to talk to the women more then 10-15 minutes but he talked to her more then he was suppose to, the girl he was talking to was known as a slut because she was not a virgin the way there culture was if a guy wanted to date a girl there father would have to go the father house and ask for permission for there son .During this time baba was getting sick when he went to go get checked out it turned out he had cancer so while his father was laying there dying he made his father get up and go to the girl soraya father house,the Amir and soraya ended up dating and getting married Amir lies and say that he is okay that soraya isn't a virgin but he really inst they are not able to have kids and soraya father refuses adaptation the couple kind of fall apart after Baba dies. one of baba friend Rhaim calls Amir and tell him to come visit before he dies when he gets back to his home town he sees everything is destroy and when he sees Rahim he see how bad he looks Rahim starts to tell him all these secert that been hiding for a long time one them was that Hassan was Amir brother Hassan got married and had a child, Hassan and his wife got shoot by the army and there son was put in a orphanage he was then sold for money to the guy who raped his dad. Amir went to go get him back and got beat up to save his nephew jaw broke ribs crack and blood everywhere, Amir took sohrab the little boy to america and soraya accepted him as her own.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Keviana
Posted Tue Apr 30 00:00:00 EDT 2013
Kite Runner turned out to be a pretty good book. In the very beginning I found the book too literal and rough to me. As I kept reading I grew to enjoy the rough and straight to the point novel that Khaled Hosseini put together. It's beneficial for Americans to read this book I think because it's a whole other world and reality. Amir goes through the reality his self throughout the book. The twists and turns of the story kept me wanting to read more. The way Khaled uses his words makes you feel like your in the scene, picturing every thing so vividly made the book that much better. It takes a lot to keep me interested and I definitely gave up on the book but decided to give it a second chance and I am glad I did. I would recommend this book to any and everybody, because it's a book I think any human being should experience.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Eileen_martinez
Posted Mon Apr 29 00:00:00 EDT 2013
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini , is a novel with moral lessons that the main Character Amir faces and about family and religion. About growing up without a mother being raised by men and transitioning from a coward to a man. All the action mainly takes place in afghan and parts of the novel in San Francisco when Amir is grown and married. The main characters in this novel would be Hassan the son of the servant Ali his father and Baba Amir's father as well as a good family friend who goes by Rahim Khan. This novel has alot of theft in it including betrayal. As well as how much Afghan has changed because of the invasion of Russian forces.
In addition, the main point of the story is Amir having flashbacks of his childhood memorys in Afghan and his wrong doings that he must live with. His struggles with becoming closer and setting a stronger bond between his father Baba and him, doing everything possible to have a good relationship with him. With determining the exact relationship with Hassan his Shi'a servent who he has depended on to take blame for all of his wrong doings and never defended him when he was in some sort of danger. When Hassan saw that Amir did not defend him he became distant and when it came to Amir's faults Hassan always took the blame the father Ali noticed and decided it was time for them to move out but Baba was lost in confusion of why he wanted to leave it saddened Baba because he saw them as family. After they moved as well did Baba and Amir to the United States. The two find jobs Amir graduates Amir finds interest in the generals daughter he attends college, falls in love with her she goes by Soraya his father becomes sick and before his last few months of living he asks the general for his son to take her hand in marriage he okays it they marry few days later he dies. Hassan the friend and servant of Amir marrys as well there first child dies as Rahim told Amir how everything was going with Hassan and how he lived with Rahim for awhile Amir asks how Ali is and the bad news of him passing away as well and asks where Hassan was then and Rahim announces the bad news, that Rahim being sick was not the only reason he wanted to see Amir that when he left for a couple of days he asked Hassan and the wife to watch over the house and protect it he did just that and got shot as well as the wife and the other kid they had Sohrab was the only one who survived and was in an orphanage . Rahim asked Amir to take Sphrab from the orphanage to the United states so he could have a new beginning in a good place that it was all he asked of Amir before Rahim passed because he was sickened as well and wanted what was best for Sohrab he loved the kid and he said as well because he is your nephew a big secret that no one else knew or told him how Amir and Hassan were half brothers which angered Amir because they robbed Hassan of the truth and he died not knowing. Amir thought that the only way to take the guilt he had left with him from not defending Hassan from being raped by evil Assef was to stand up for his nephew and give him the life he deserved it was the only part of Hassan he had left. The person of the orphanage was Assef and Assef did not like Amir because he hung out with the odd one out so he wanted a fight with Amir to get his nephew in return Amir took up the offer and decided not to be a coward. This part of when Amir is being beat by Assef is a feel of peace and being at ease of the past because he feels like he is paying for when Hassan was being raped a sign of relief and son like father Sohrab stands up for Amir after awhile and slings him in the left eye just as his father did . This is a brief summary of what mainly has happened and Amir adopting Sohrab even through the difficulties of adoption because of imigration his wife has a cousin who helps out and they adopt Sohrab as there own son Amir believed it was all worth it because not only did they have a son but now he always had a part of Hassan with him and can feel better with himself for bettering his life. In conclusion, flying kites was always a part of Amir's and Hassan's childhood and he carried that with his nephew because he was just like his father. I see how Amir changed from a coward and a bad person to a caring and strong man he was just like his father Baba as Sohrab was like Hassan. The last words I will remember that caught my attention was '' For you ,a thousand times over ,'' Amir had said the exact same words Hassan told him to his nephew. I highly suggest people read this novel because it gives a lot of different point of views and how you can handle situations differently before it is to late, this novel has to do with love, family, religion,death,and betrayal and growing as a person asn well with theft do not ever steal something from any one because it snowballs into something much more as well as lies do not rob any one from the truth and feed them with lies.
harveyjr
Posted Fri Apr 26 00:00:00 EDT 2013
Charles Harvey
Kite Runner Feed Back
The kite runner is a tremendous book with numerous events; this book will teach you moral lessons that would last a life time in my opinion. Hassan is a character in this book that goes through a lot of trial and tribulations and he dies a terrible death. Hassan is uneducated because he doesn’t have time for school because he is too busy being a servant for Baba and Amir. Even though Hassan is a servant he always sticks up for his friend Amir no matter what. Even when Amir gets himself into trouble with Assef the town bully Hassan pulls out his famous sling shot and Assef backs down. Not only does he stick up for Amir he also does everything around the house for Amir and Baba from cooking to cleaning.
Amir is the main character of the story. Amir and Hassan spend a lot of time together and only good thing that Amir does for him is read a book to Hassan since Hassan is illiterate. Amir is easily jealous of Hassan, because he doesn’t like to see Hassan getting praise from his father Baba even though Hassan sticks up for him when he is in trouble. After Amir wins the kite race he witnesses Hassan getting raped by Assef but Amir is too much of a coward to help. Shortly after Hassan gets raped Amir and Hassan’s friendship isn’t the same. Since the relationship wasn’t the same Hassan lied to Baba to leave because Amir sets him up.
Amir feels guilty because he drove his only true friend away through jealousy and hate and also by being a coward .Even though Hassan is a different race to Amir they are brothers. Baba is well known in Afghanistan for doing great things. One of Baba's greatest creations was a magnificent building from the ground up for the orphanages to live. Baba is hiding something from Amir and Hassan but too prideful to admit it to his two boys. Baba slept with a Hazra woman and that’s how Baba became Hassan’s father. Even though Baba is too prideful to tell his children about what is truly going on he really worries about his son Amir. Baba is worried that Amir isn’t man enough to stand up for him-self and believes if Amir doesn’t stand for something he will fail for anything. Amir is listening attentively at the door and over hears his father on the phone. Amir is heart- broken and angered by what his father has said and turns into a cold hearted bitter person.
Hassan moves on with his life after Amir Sets him up. Ali takes Hassan far away and a few years later Hassan falls in love with a women and they have a son. On the other hand Amir and Baba flee to the United States because of the war that is taken place in Afghanistan. Baba is having a hard time adjusting to the American life while Amir finishes up school. On weekends Baba and Amir sold merchandize to make a profit and that is where Amir falls in love with the general’s daughter by the name of Soraya. A year later Baba is extremely sick and Amir asks his father if he could have soraya hand in marriage. Soraya’s father General Taher approves of the marriage. Soraya tells Amir her dark secret and Amir is shocked and appalled but he accepts it because he knows that he has certain things in the past that he doesn’t want to be judge about. After the marriage soraya and Amir move to San Francisco but Amir and soraya are struggling to have a child.
Amir receives news from a friend that he is very ill and Amir tells Soraya that he has to return home. While Amir is making his way back to Pakistan Hassan and is wife are executed in the street for being Hazran and their son is thrown into an orphanage. Does Amir have what it take to make things right between himself and Hassan? Does soraya and Amir ever have a kid? Read the Kite Runner to find out the outcome of this wild outrageous book.
Anonymous
Posted Fri Apr 26 00:00:00 EDT 2013
It was a delight! No American should ignore it.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.IB311Fan
Posted Thu Apr 25 00:00:00 EDT 2013
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, was first published in 2003. This book has sold more than ten million copies in the United States. The author was born in Afghanistan and moved to the United States in 1980. His first novel, The Kite Runner, was an international best seller and was published in forty countries.
The book starts in San Francisco with the main character, Amir. Amir gets a phone call from an old friend that still lives in Afghanistan, Rahim, who tells Amir, “There’s a way to be good again”. This sets the stage for the focus of the book. The author then goes back in time to tell the story of what happened to Amir as a boy and to explain why Amir needs to be “good again”. The story is told by the point of view of Amir. The tone of the book is gloomy because Amir has done something, as a boy, that he is very ashamed of and cannot forget. The story is set during a very depressing time in Afghanistan. The Taliban was destroying Amir’s homeland.
There are three main characters in the story, Amir: his best friend, Hassan; and Amir’s father, Baba. The main conflict of the book is Amir’s struggle in understanding the difference between the rich and the poor and the pressure of society telling him he should not be friends with a member of the lower class. Amir is growing up as a member of the higher class while Hassan, his best friend, is his servant. Baba, Amir’s father, treats Hassan like a son, and Amir is resentful because he wants all of his father’s attention.
There is major event that happens in Kabul, the kite tournament. Amir and Hassan participate in the tournament and Hassan is the best kite runner. He runs the winning kite for Amir. Hassan is alone and runs into the town bullies, who end up hurting him very badly. Amir witnesses the horrible incident but does nothing. Amir never gets the courage to talk to Hassan about what happened. As a result, their relationship changes for the worst. They are separated because of something Amir does and Amir never gets to make things right. As a grown up in San Francisco when he gets the call from his old friend, Rahim, he feels he needs to go back and redeem himself. When he is back in Kabul, he learns some secrets his father Baba had kept from him. It becomes even more important for Amir to be courageous and “to be good again”.
This is a very powerful story about growing up and the difference you can make in other people’s lives. I enjoyed reading the Kite Runner, and I recommend it, because it is a story about best friends and forgiveness.
Anonymous
Posted Thu Mar 14 00:00:00 EDT 2013
A story that delivers and an author that delivers. A rare and unforgettable combination.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Thu Mar 14 00:00:00 EDT 2013
AMAZING!!! This book is so complex and beautiful. Hosseini does characterization and plot development effortlessly, which makes it easy to analyze. The story is so heart wrenchingly beautiful, and changes your perception on life and other cultures. I would recommend this to anyone!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.lupe79
Posted Thu Mar 14 00:00:00 EDT 2013
Gashing an unforgettable storyJust like the tar gashes a cut on a finger for the love of a kite runner, this book will gash an unforgettable story for the love of a friendship. In “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini, we follow Amir and the choices he makes as a child and how they affect him in his adult life. This is a story that follows the friendship of two young boys living in Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion from the 1970s to 2001 . This shocking story reveals to Americans what Afghanistan has gone through in the past. It is a book that reveals the gashes of an Afghan and how he is forced to be haunted with what he saw happen to Hassan in the alley after the kite running competition after Amir has won. Hassan is a young “hazara” also known as a servant. He is the son of Ali a servant who has been with the family ever since Baba was a child. Hassan believes truly that he is Amir’s best friend and he is loyal throughout their friendship. This riveting and moving novel keeps the reader on the edge of their seat as they read and wonder what has occurred to young Hassan as he and his father decide to leave Amir and Baba. Baba is a wealthy merchant. Amir and Baba had never had the relationship that Amir would like to have with his father. Amir has always found a way to envy the way that Hassan was treated by Baba.Amir living his life in the United States has not been able to forget that day, especially the look in Hassan’s face, the look of the lamb. What Amir interprets to understand as resignation. Then one day, Amir receives an unexpected call from Rahim Khan an old friend. This call takes makes him wonder when Rahim Khan tells Amir that he needs to speak to him. Amir finds himself back in his country talking to Rahim Khan where he discovers a secret that his father seems to have been keeping from him all his life. Amir finds himself reflecting on his friendship with Hassan and whether he should have ever doubted Hassan’s loyalty. As the readers the continue to follow Amir in his journey they start realizing how much love, honor,guilt and fear Amir has had to go through in order to find himself. Khaled Hosseini does a great job describing the friendship that is going on between Hassan and Amir. He also describes the relationship between Amir and Baba. The level of thinking that Hosseini challenges the readers to understand the value of the friendship between these two young boys as they are growing up during the Soviet invasion in Afghanistan. I think that any reader can empathize with the characters in this story because many will remember about a friendship as a child or an existing friendship that has marked them strongly for life. This is a very riveting and powerful book because it keeps you wanting to run your fingers through the pages and keep reading. The Kite Runner has unexpected twists. Baba keeping a secret that Amir never seemed to wonder about. When he discovers the secret everything makes sense. Now, he has to go back to his country and is shocked by the news that Rahim Khan has given. Amir is forced to search the streets of his country in search of something that will soon be very important to him. He will have to face many unexpected obstacles in order to gain what he is looking for. This story has a beautiful ending as Amir will find what he has been looking for and ends up flowing back to a very special moment from his childhood. A moment that has affected him up to his adult life. This story has a very haunting feeling when it keeps you wondering what ever happened to Hassan, and what Amir will end up finding at the end of the story. It has a very unforgettable moment throughout the story as it will be cleared up at the very end when Amir truly finds himself and understands the friendship that Hassan and he had growing up.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.normabarragan
Posted Thu Mar 14 00:00:00 EDT 2013
The Kite Runner
Smile, laughs get angry and cry these are some of the emotions that will overwhelm you. This story will touch you so deeply that you will even feel your heart shattering and cry. The Kite Runner is a great novel that captures well the struggle of youth. It portrays the main character Amir’s struggle in seeking his father's approval, as well as his doubts on his friendship with the servant boy named Hassan.
Throughout the story Amir shows his growth, and regrets about the tragic things that happen in his childhood and later in life, he later learns how to stand up for someone really important to him to make up for his past mistakes that have been haunting him: one act changes his life forever.
The Kite Runner is a great story that will touch many and teach others the meaning of sacrifice. As well as the consequences of what happens when you're willing to sacrifice others and run away from your problems, and not stand up for yourself and others. How your pride and own selfishness can lead to not only hurting yourself but the ones you care about as well.
The author uses the characters and symbols in such a way that the message is loud and clear at the end. When they talk about the pomegranate tree and Hassan and Amir carve their names into it that tree became the symbol of their friendship in that moment. Later in the book you see that with each obstacle and wound to their bond the tree was slowly dying when their friendship was so strained that the tree didn’t bear fruit in years.
This story will entertain you and its riveting plot will keep you guessing what will happen next. The words “A thousand time over for you” that Hassan utters in the beginning of the book then Amir repeats them at the end will represent something so big you’ll be surprise what it really means.
The characters are so unique and they play their role so well that you keep changing your mind about them. Their description is so clear you can easily picture a loyal pure hearted Hassan and venerable Amir. At times you hate Amir for his actions and choices others you sympathizes with him, in all there so realistic you can feel like you know them. The author shows in different events in the book the characters impulsive dominant characteristic and best points but also show how those impulsive characteristics lead to their own suffering. They really are unique with that touch that makes them unique yet realistic enough that you can relate someone you know to them.
The book The Kite Runner is great story that will surely leave you satisfied. You will learn a lot about life’s hard obstacle and hard choices that the characters had to make as well as a little about yourself. The book uses great figurative language and great use of metaphors and symbolism that makes the reading interesting and its unique ideas hooks you so that you’ll never think of the story as cliché, at times I must admit it went a bit slow but when it got to a dramatic part then did a plot twist, it was worth the wait.
Adventure, friendship, tragedy, romance, hurt and comfort, life lesson, and family struggles. The Kite Runner is the only book that incorporates all these things in a well build sequence in each event a well thought out storyline. I have read books since the time I could read which was at the age of 2. I have read well-written books but The Kite Runner is the only book that could incorporate many different genres to make a spectacular unique story.
-Norma Barragan
Overview
The 10th anniversary edition of the New York Times bestseller and international classic loved by millions of readers.
The unforgettable, heartbreaking story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father's servant, The Kite Runner is a beautifully crafted novel set in a country that is in the process of being destroyed. It is about the power of reading, the price of betrayal, and the possibility of redemption; and an...